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February 18, 2010
E-Communique
Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ
parched
Hello, my brothers and sisters--

One of the Lenten rituals in our home is to start little pots of something green.  This year, I've planted a pot of bulbs  - the last handfuls that I just didn't get to last fall.
      I'll let you know how they do.  For now, still in the fresh dirt, warmed by some strengthening rays of February sun, they remind me of the blessing of beginning again.  With something/someone I've forgotten.  With something/someone I've given up on.  With something/someone I just haven't "gotten to".
     May those blessings be yours this Lent as you plant a pot of something green and embrace God's invitations to begin again.

                              Jonna Jensen, Associate Conference Minister for Eastern Iowa

 
Rev. Marlene Brown has passed away

Riceville steps up!


RYE--get your youth signed up!









Help Iowa youth go to wider church events



Help Polish youth too!






Old Testament stories onstage March 7 in Mason City


Maren Tirabassi workshops March 12--all the information!






















March 27 spring education event at Sioux City Mayflower




Rebuild in Cedar Rapids April 12-May 21




Multi-faith conference
April 13-15 at Augustana College in Sioux Falls SD


April 16-18 conference on technology use

2030 Clergy Network June 1-3 in Chicago

Pilgrim Heights summer schedule
We are sorry to hear of the death of Marlene Brown, who pastored our Wheeler Grove UCC in Carson.  She passed away on Feb. 10.  Her funeral was this past Tuesday.  The funeral home information is here.

In the category of small but mighty: Riceville, which is not one of our bigger congregations, sent $150 for Haiti earthquake relief!  You go, Riceville!

Regional Youth Event News.  Week 21 and counting.  Remember to check out the Youth Page of the Iowa UCC website for registration details.  This is a great deal.....close to home, very reasonable price, prime topic ("Agape: God's love for all"), opportunities galore! The Iowa planning committee is making a great effort to arrange covering the cost of Iowa adult registration fees.  We appreciate adults who volunteer to chaperone and take time out of their busy work lives to offer faithful opportunities for our youth.
     The committee is also looking for volunteers from our RYE participants to lead three 1-hour sessions during the event. The activities will be planned for you and will be shared with a group of 15-20 youth.  We need teams of an adult and a youth to lead these sessions.  Hopefully we can get 5 teams from Iowa!  Contact Nicole Havelka at the conference office to volunteer.
 
When you were a young person, do you remember the mind-blowing experience of attending General Synod or National or Regional Youth Events? Help more high school youth have this amazing experience of wider church events by giving to the Iowa Conference today online or by sending a check to the conference office and designate your donations to "Youth Ministry Scholarships."

The Polish Reformed Church is organizing a group of Protestant youth to Wroclaw to witness part of the ecumenical and official Festival of Protestant Culture in April 2010.  Like youth everywhere, they need funds for this awesome field trip!  Unlike our youth in Iowa, they don't have nearly enough adults to help them.  You will remember that our missionaries, Doug and Liz Searles, are serving in Poland right now.  You can reach across the world to embrace our Polish kids by going to our Global Ministries website and donating online.

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, at 7:00 pm, the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Mason City will host Northwestern College's Traveling Theatre Troupe in a performance of "Faith and Folly: Old Testament Stories on Stage".  While there is no charge, a free will offering will be received to defray their expenses.

The time is drawing near for the March 12 workshops by Maren Tirabassi at Plymouth UCC in Des Moines:

"All Whom God Has Joined"
 
Based on the forthcoming book from Pilgrim Press, Maren Tirabassi will lead a workshop for same-gender loving marriage. We will share resources for clergy couples and congregations, addressing practical issues from precovenanting conversations for new couples and those who have been together for years, unique family dynamics, and congregational concerns, as well as a brief history of marriage in a religious context. A wealth of original wedding liturgy for gay and lesbian ceremonies in a wide range of styles and guidelines in adapting more traditional service will be balanced by the mutual insights and experiences of workshop participants.  (The book will not quite be available but will be sent directly to each participant's home or church.)
 
"Growing Worship - A Spring Workshop for Developing Worship Teams"
 
Some worship teams plan or plan and perform congregational music. Some worship teams shape special services, like Easter Sunrise, Pentecost, World Communion Sunday ... or just those pesky times when the pastor is on vacation. Some develop lay preaching programs; some take worship to assisted living facilities, hospice houses or hospitals; some present dramatized readings of scriptures. It's a garden of possibilities. This workshop will offer a packet of seeds for each one!

The morning workshop on same-gender weddings costs $25.  Registration is at 9:30 and the session runs from 10 to 12:30.  Lunch is ordered in or on your own.  The afternoon workshop is from 1:30 - 3, on worship teams.  That workshop costs $20.  Registrations are due by March 1 at the conference office: 5609 Douglas Ave., Des Moines IA 50310.  Questions?  Talk to Dianne Prichard.

Mayflower UCC in Sioux City hosts a spring education event on March 27 from 9-3.  Dr. Bob Jewett, a Pauline scholar, will discuss how Christians today, wanting to live a servant lifestyle, can respond in a global community, where militarism and imperialism seem to be the norm.  The entire flier is linked from our continuing education page.  Cost is $20 ($25 if you register after March 21), and you can get more information from Alaire Willets if the flier doesn't answer all your questions.

April 12 - May 21 our national office is sponsoring an ecumenical rebuild in Cedar Rapids.  Volunteer work groups are invited to spend a week repairing/rebuilding homes that were damaged by the 2008 floods - long term recovery is indeed a marathon not a sprint.  They are seeking groups of 10-12 people for each week to bring their gifts and skills and apply them in Cedar Rapids.  Volunteer groups will be assigned to work side by side with nine denominational and two local partners to do this much needed work.
 
Pam Small of Evansville, IN is serving as the volunteer coordinator for the project and can be reached at:  psmall66@gmail.com; cell phone:  812-453-3995. 

Here is an AMAZING continuing education opportunity, and there's no cost!  April 13-15, Augustana College in Sioux Falls SD is presenting the Akeda Conference, whose topic this year is "The Binding of Isaac: the story of Abraham and his sacrificial offering of Isaac,from Jewish, Christian & Muslim perspectives."  They have a roster of academic luminaries presenting lectures.  For registration and schedule information, go to their website.

April 16-18 is a conference on technology use for churches, "Plugging In Without Shorting Out," to be held at the downtown Marriott in Des Moines.  You can find a link to the flier on our continuing education page.

Clergy in their 20s and 30s should set aside June 1-3 right now, and plan to attend the 2030 Clergy Network event at Chicago Theological Seminary, "Shepherding the Shepherd."  You can find a link on our continuing education web page.

Pilgrim Heights has scheduled their summer camps already, and you can find a link to the schedule right underneath the conference calendar on our home page.  Scroll down; it's on the left-hand side.